The United States President Donald Trump’s administration has discussed a potential missile defence cooperation with India in an effort to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership, the Pentagon said on Thursday while asserting that New Delhi is a “key element” in US’ Indo-Pacific strategy.
The US president has released an 81-page “Missile Defence Review”, which the Pentagon announced, that has gained a significance in view of India purchasing a USD 5 billion S-400 air missile defence from Russia, for which the US has presented its displeasure.
Noting that now there are not only fewer regions that pose threats by offensive missile capabilities around the world, the Pentagon said in its reports that there are now several numbers of countries in South Asia that are in an ongoing process to develop an advanced and diverse range of ballistic missile capabilities.
On Thursday, the Pentagon said: “Within this context, the United States has discussed potential missile defense cooperation with India. This is a natural outgrowth of India’s status as a Major Defense Partner and a key element of our Indo-Pacific Strategy.”
The report, which considers missile development projects by China and Russia as a major threat to the US, did not provide any further details of its potential missile defence cooperation with India.
As a part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, the Trump administration now look forward to bolstering its cooperation with India in several sectors.
The Pentagon mentioned in its reports about the 2017 national security strategy of the US, and stated: “We will deepen our strategic partnership with India and support its leadership role in Indian Ocean security and throughout the broader region.”